Do these look ready for first nutrient top dress? Switching from GH Flora 3 part to organic Gaia Green.

[Smokenpassout]

These two blueberry muffins we very slow taking hold in their final pots of happy frog and perlite. They had a little yellowing and have been getting a steady diet of 3ml micro, grow, and bloom. 1ml calmag and 1ml silica on plain watering day, without nutrients. Ready to top dress now with Gaia Green 70% grow 30% bloom for next 3-4 weeks.

 

[Syntax747]

These two blueberry muffins we very slow taking hold in their final pots of happy frog and perlite. They had a little yellowing and have been getting a steady diet of 3ml micro, grow, and bloom. 1ml calmag and 1ml silica on plain watering day, without nutrients. Ready to top dress now with Gaia Green 70% grow 30% bloom for next 3-4 weeks.

Are you still vegging or did you flip? I'm organic but I don't use Gaia. My 1st top dress is usually 1 week before flip, then every 3 weeks after. Not sure if Gaia is the same way. If you make a thread about this in the organic section, you will probably get more replies.

Good luck.

 

[Smokenpassout]

No, plants are just over a month. Short and busy. I feel like I want at least another month to flip. Has been getting gh flora trio at 1/4 strength a couple weeks. All green and lush is appearance. I did the top dress of 1 tbsp per gallon. They also have a reccomendation for pre amending all the soil but I did not as I like happy frog with 70% perlite alone to control nutrients. With the organic ferts I imagine it will be at least a couple weeks to breakdown and start showing. The mix was the suggested 70 grow 30 bloom. I’m thinking I won’t top dress again until transition at 50-50. Then a third top dress at 70 bloom and 30 grow mid flower. I like the organic route so I don’t have to worry about nutrients feeds often, and I can supplement my extras in my plain waterings.

 

[Syntax747]

I completely agree. With organic, you can make your soil, plant your plants, then not have to worry about feeding until about a week before the flip. After the flip is when you want to be diligent with your feeding.

Is Gaia a solid amendment or is it a liquid? If it's solid then expect about 3 weeks before it's in the root zone. So I tend to feed every 3 weeks to keep that nutrient cycle balanced.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

No, plants are just over a month. Short and busy. I feel like I want at least another month to flip. Has been getting gh flora trio at 1/4 strength a couple weeks. All green and lush is appearance. I did the top dress of 1 tbsp per gallon. They also have a reccomendation for pre amending all the soil but I did not as I like happy frog with 70% perlite alone to control nutrients. With the organic ferts I imagine it will be at least a couple weeks to breakdown and start showing. The mix was the suggested 70 grow 30 bloom. I’m thinking I won’t top dress again until transition at 50-50. Then a third top dress at 70 bloom and 30 grow mid flower. I like the organic route so I don’t have to worry about nutrients feeds often, and I can supplement my extras in my plain waterings.

Did you transplant at the same time as to dressing? You may need to add some microbial life to the soil, if you were using bottled nutes.

What size containers are you using for organic?

 

[Smokenpassout]

Did you transplant at the same time as to dressing? You may need to add some microbial life to the soil, if you were using bottled nutes.

What size containers are you using for organic?

The top dress was a month or more after transplant. I go from solo cups to final fabric pots which are 5 and 7 gallon pots. I transplant with myco madness. Mix is happy/perlite. I used bottled nutes for nutrition the first month at 1/4 strength, as well as small amounts of calmag and silica. Now that they have been top dressed, they are responding well a week in. No more nutrients added. Not as dark green as I’d like, but don’t want to double down on Nitrogen. They are healthy, no yellowing, no brown tips. I will top dress again at flip.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

The top dress was a month or more after transplant. I go from solo cups to final fabric pots which are 5 and 7 gallon pots. I transplant with myco madness. Mix is happy/perlite. I used bottled nutes for nutrition the first month at 1/4 strength, as well as small amounts of calmag and silica. Now that they have been top dressed, they are responding well a week in. No more nutrients added. Not as dark green as I’d like, but don’t want to double down on Nitrogen. They are healthy, no yellowing, no brown tips. I will top dress again at flip.

The thing with top dressing is, it's only part of the story. You need microbial life, to break down those dry amendments.

Since you were feeding synthetic nutes, you weren't giving the microbes much to eat.
If it were me, I'd top dress the amendments with earth worm castings, and water in a compost Tea.

Also I'd add mulch. There's 2 reasons for the mulch.
1. A place for the microbes at the top of the soil, out of light.
2. Helps retain moisture at the top of soil, where the dry amendments are breaking down.

Also, container size/volume, matters. A big enough plant, in too small of a container, will consume all the nutrition, faster than microbes can break down the organic matter.
Having a bottle of organic nutes, like neptune's harvest (or something similar), is good to have on hand, just in case.

 

[Smokenpassout]

The thing with top dressing is, it's only part of the story. You need microbial life, to break down those dry amendments.

Since you were feeding synthetic nutes, you weren't giving the microbes much to eat.
If it were me, I'd top dress the amendments with earth worm castings, and water in a compost Tea.

Also I'd add mulch. There's 2 reasons for the mulch.
1. A place for the microbes at the top of the soil, out of light.
2. Helps retain moisture at the top of soil, where the dry amendments are breaking down.

Also, container size/volume, matters. A big enough plant, in too small of a container, will consume all the nutrition, faster than microbes can break down the organic matter.
Having a bottle of organic nutes, like neptune's harvest (or something similar), is good to have on hand, just in case.

Sound advice about microblials! I will head that! I do intend to add a top dress of quality castings next feed. Any other suggestions besides mulch to boost microbes?

 

[Hollatchaboy]

Sound advice about microblials! I will head that! I do intend to add a top dress of quality castings next feed. Any other suggestions besides mulch to boost microbes?

Aact..... actively aerated compost Tea.
You make it with water, ewc, molasses.

Also real growers recharge, is a product you can buy that is basically the same as compost tea, allegedly. Ive used it and if seems to work good.

Remember, container size/volume, Is key to a healthy vigorous plant through flower, and by that i mean at least 15-20 gallons. Unless you use a sub irrigated planter. Then you can go a lil smaller.

 

[Smokenpassout]

Aact..... actively aerated compost Tea.
You make it with water, ewc, molasses.

Also real growers recharge, is a product you can buy that is basically the same as compost tea, allegedly. Ive used it and if seems to work good.

Remember, container size/volume, Is key to a healthy vigorous plant through flower, and by that i mean at least 15-20 gallons. Unless you use a sub irrigated planter. Then you can go a lil smaller.

Funny, you got me thinking about microbes and my soil. So I went online and ordered some recharge yesterday for my next water. Which should be perfect cause I wanted a boost without adding nutrients to my plant as the top dress was supposed to be good for 3 weeks. My fabric pots are small 5 and 7 gallon. Been giving them 1 gallon of water each. However after 5 solid days they are so full upon picking up this week! Going to water tommorow with 1/2 teaspoon of recharge anyway. Dialed in at 80 temp and 60 humidity.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

Funny, you got me thinking about microbes and my soil. So I went online and ordered some recharge yesterday for my next water. Which should be perfect cause I wanted a boost without adding nutrients to my plant as the top dress was supposed to be good for 3 weeks. My fabric pots are small 5 and 7 gallon. Been giving them 1 gallon of water each. However after 5 solid days they are so full upon picking up this week! Going to water tommorow with 1/2 teaspoon of recharge anyway. Dialed in at 80 temp and 60 humidity.

Try not to over do it with the recharge. Just a lil goes a long way.

Don't water to runoff either. You want to keep the nutrients and microbes in the soil, not the runoff tray.

Aact, doesn't add much nutrition either. It's mostly for adding microbes. There is nutrient teas though, that are made similarly, as an aact.

 

[Smokenpassout]

Try not to over do it with the recharge. Just a lil goes a long way.

Don't water to runoff either. You want to keep the nutrients and microbes in the soil, not the runoff tray.

Aact, doesn't add much nutrition either. It's mostly for adding microbes. There is nutrient teas though, that are made similarly, as an aact.

I was sure to use exactly 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. The 7 gallons can take a gallon without runoff and I did the 5 gallons with just enough before runoff. Directions said ph adjustment wasn’t needed, stuff must be fairly mild if they say you can use once a week. I may do every other week as I only got 2 ounces. Says it good for coco too, which I’m transitioning full time soon.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

I was sure to use exactly 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. The 7 gallons can take a gallon without runoff and I did the 5 gallons with just enough before runoff. Directions said ph adjustment wasn’t needed, stuff must be fairly mild if they say you can use once a week. I may do every other week as I only got 2 ounces. Says it good for coco too, which I’m transitioning full time soon.

Sounds good. Don't forget to mulch after top dressing, and remember cannabis prefers fungally dominant soil.

You can also add compost worms to help break down dry amendments and condition the soil.

I also suggest using a surfactant like aloe or yucca for your waterings.

No need for ph adjustment, or water filtering. Tap water works just fine, as long as you don't have some kinda crazy high levels of anything.
For the most part, if you, your animals, or your houseplants/lawn can tolerate it, so can cannabis.

 

[Smokenpassout]

Sounds good. Don't forget to mulch after top dressing, and remember cannabis prefers fungally dominant soil.

You can also add compost worms to help break down dry amendments and condition the soil.

I also suggest using a surfactant like aloe or yucca for your waterings.

No need for ph adjustment, or water filtering. Tap water works just fine, as long as you don't have some kinda crazy high levels of anything.
For the most part, if you, your animals, or your houseplants/lawn can tolerate it, so can cannabis.

Appreciate your tips. I did add some worm castings at 1 and 1/2 cup for the 7’s and 1 cup for the 5’s before watering in the recharge. I have been keeping the top 1-2” of soil broken up finely for more even watering. So with the castings I kneaded the castings in with that loose top layer and watered in. I do my top dressing with Gaia green with the same process.